After Anzac - The Development of Australian Infantry on the Western Front, 19161918

By the end of the 'Great War', the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) had a reputation for being one of the most effective formations on the Western Front. After Anzac provides a critical and comparative analysis of how Australian infantry developed to embody this reputation, primarily as an element of the greater Imperial Force. The book opens with a comparison of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) to the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF); both were Dominion formations who trained and developed under the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Various AIF training and development instructed by the BEF are then explored, including infantry recruit and tactical training, weapons systems and specialist training, culminating in a critical analysis of how this resulted in the effectiveness and professionalism of Australian troops who served on the Western Front. The impact of the Anzac legend and the mythology of the Western Front are considered.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. Comparing the Australian and Canadian experiences; 2. Infantry recruit training in the AIF; 3. British infantry tactical development, 1917; 4. Reinforcement training and the schools in France; 5. Weapons systems and specialist training; 6. Enlisted men; 7. Leadership and training: officers; 8. Australian infantry development, 1918; Conclusion.

About the author

Lewis Frederickson is a serving officer in the Royal Australian Air Force. He previously lectured in the history and strategy of air power as the Chief of Air Force Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Canberra. He has a passion for academic and vocational education in both the air and land domains and how these themes intersect in Australian history.

Product details

• Authors: Lewis Frederickson, Lewis (University of New South Wales Frederickson
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 31.01.2026
• EAN: 9781009603812
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0960381-2
• No. of pages: 304
• Series: Australian Army History Series
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; HISTORY / Military / General, military history, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, HISTORY / Australia & New Zealand, Australasian & Pacific history, Modern warfare, c 1914 to c 1918 (including WW1), Australasian and Pacific history, c 1914 to c 1918 (World War One period), Military institutions, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War I